Curator Watchlist
A slick, very 90s Arnold action-thriller with enough big set pieces, goofy tech, and star charisma to keep genre fans entertained, even if the plotting is routine and the CGI has aged badly. It works best as loud, fast junk food rather than a standout thriller.
Where to watch: Buy
Fri · 1h 55m
Director: Chuck Russell
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams, James Caan
A Witness Protection specialist becomes suspicious of his co-workers when dealing with a case involving high-tech weapons.
Chuck Russell
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams, James Caan
A slick, very 90s Arnold action-thriller with enough big set pieces, goofy tech, and star charisma to keep genre fans entertained, even if the plotting is routine and the CGI has aged badly. It works best as loud, fast junk food rather than a standout thriller.
Eraser is a late-period Arnold vehicle that knows exactly what it is: a glossy, high-concept action movie built around a hero who can outmuscle bullets, bureaucracy, and bad digital animals. The witness-protection premise gives it a nice procedural hook, but the real appeal is the parade of escalating stunts, betrayals, and one-liners that keep it moving at a brisk clip.
It’s not especially subtle, and the mystery elements are mostly there to connect the explosions. Still, the movie has a sturdy, old-school confidence, and Schwarzenegger’s easy charisma helps sell even the silliest beats. The action is often the point, not the payoff, and on that level it delivers.
What holds it back is the familiar mid-90s studio-thriller problem: thin characterization, predictable twists, and effects that now look more amusing than thrilling. But if you’re in the mood for a big, dumb, well-made action ride from the era when star power could carry almost anything, this is an easy watch.
Grooveman (4★) · 430 likes
The fact that Schwarzenegger kicks an Alligator in the mouth makes this a must see.
David Sims (3★) · 353 likes
arnie faces down a jumbo jet in mid-air and SHOOTS THE MFING FRONT WINDOWS OUT
Ian West (3.5★) · 304 likes
My boy chuck russell comes through again. Watched this with my fiancé, her first time, and the entire length of this movie she kept saying “he’s gotta say You’ve just been Erased or something, right?”. When it happen she jumped up with her hands in the air like Jordan just won the nba finals with .03 seconds to go. This feels a million years old but I don’t really give it shit, feed it to my Neanderthal veins. Pretty good day.
SilentDawn (4★) · 181 likes
73 Reheated T2 and True Lies leftovers, but even still, that's certainly not the worst thing to aspire to. Nonstop ridiculous action (the crocodiles! 🐊) and Arnold charm.
matt lynch (2.5★) · 179 likes
"I can't believe you nailed me with this cheap piece of mail-order shit!" that's James Caan after getting hit with a tiny knife Arnold had concealed in his belt buckle, but it might as well be me after thoroughly enjoying this undeniably lame and profoundly stupid junk food garbage.
Big-budget Arnold spectacle with the same blend of comedy, espionage, and outsized action confidence.
The benchmark for Schwarzenegger-era spectacle, with bigger ideas, sharper pacing, and iconic action design.
A similarly muscular mix of sci-fi, paranoia, and outrageous set pieces from Arnold’s peak era.
If the appeal is Arnold as an unstoppable force in a high-stakes genre machine, this is essential.
Pure, no-nonsense action excess with the same kind of gleeful, impossible momentum.
A dystopian action vehicle that shares the movie’s blunt-force energy and satirical edge.
Another mid-90s star-driven action thriller built around big stunts and relentless pacing.
A lean, crowd-pleasing siege thriller with a similar emphasis on competence, corruption, and set pieces.
Fast-moving action with conspiratorial plotting, citywide momentum, and a strong star pairing.
A clean example of 90s high-concept action done with real propulsion and minimal fat.
Same era, same studio-scale bravado, but with more style, wit, and blockbuster polish.
Operatic, absurd, and committed to its own ridiculousness in a way fans of big 90s action often love.
witness protection, corruption, betrayal, high-tech weapons, identity erasure, conspiracy, law enforcement, action spectacle
90s action, thriller, mystery, conspiracy, witness protection, explosions, one-liners, techno-thriller, star vehicle, blockbuster